We are off on holiday soon, sooner than soon in fact, in a matter of days! Yippee!
However both the husband and myself have noticed the clothes getting tight and the numbers on the scales creeping the wrong way. So we’ve been reigning it in, replacing unhealthy meals with healthy ones. And a small amount of calorie counting but not too much because a. it’s boring and b. I’m breastfeeding so restricting calories is no good.
So I’m replacing a lot of the foods we were eating, some old favourites like lasagne and cheesy gooey quaesdillas and replacing them with healthy, vegetable packed (for the veggie hating husband) meals. My husband is massive carnivore so while I think we should reduce meat/fish he will not be satisfied with a veggie option.
So healthy chicken meatballs stuffed with fresh vegetables it was. Replacing fatty beef with minced chicken, frying for baking and sneaking in extra veggies for added vitamins alongside making my own pasta sauce from yet more veggies made for a lovely filling meal.
Best of all, if you are calorie counting, the meatball on their own come in at 300 calories per serving.
Winning!
Healthy Chicken Meatballs with added veggies
Makes 20 Meatballs
Ingredients
500g Chicken Mince
1 carrot, grated
1 courgette, grated
1 egg
1 slice wholemeal bread, made into breadcrumbs
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried basil
How to do it:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Grate carrot and courgette. Then mix together in a large bowl with dried herbs, garlic and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper
Allow the Toddler to help at this stage
3. Crack egg into bowl and mix thoroughly
4. Add chicken mix, and get your hands dirty to combine!
5. Roll into balls, I got 20 out of the mix
6. Place on a greased baking tray
7. Bake for 20 minutes
8. Voila, and serve.
I made a homemade pasta sauce from sweet potato, carrot and tinned tomatoes plus a load of herbs, but anything tomato goes. And they are delicious cold!